MINOT – Needing the opportunity to get game action before opening league play next week, the Minot State softball team proved to be unstoppable this weekend, finishing off a four-game sweep of visiting Regina with back-to-back five-inning wins on Sunday at the Air-Supported Dome on the Minot State campus.
Calley Olsen dominated in the circle in the first game, an 8-0, 5-inning mercy-rule win for the Beavers who plated five in their final at-bat, then Izzy Penner and Brooklyn Morrison teamed up to plate five of Minot State’s runs in a 9-0, 5-inning win to close out the series.
In the opener, Olsen (5-1) dominated in the circle, scattering three hits and striking out seven.
And she needed to be good as Regina, playing the weekend as exhibition contests, put up a good fight, allowing an RBI groundout to Paige Kellogg in the bottom of the first, then the Cougars keep the contest a 1-0 ballgame until the fourth.
A two-run single by Taryn Bennett provided a bit of breathing room, then the Beavers (13-9 overall) ended the game with a five-run rally in the bottom of the fifth, a charge ignited by senior catcher Jaycie Rostad who blasted her first collegiate home run to left.
Morrison, Hannah Murray, and Abby Lohse each added an RBI single before Sara Van Winkler’s RBI single to right ended the game.
Kellogg had a pair of hits to lead the way in the opener.
In the nightcap, junior Gabi Dawyduk (1-0) picked up her first win of the season in the circle pitching four shutout innings of one-hit ball while striking out two.
And the Minot State offense plated runs in every inning, making things much less stressful on Dawyduk, as Morrison plated a pair of runs to put the Beavers on top 3-0 in the first inning, then Lohse added an RBI single for a 4-0 lead after two innings.
Penner and Murray added an RBI each in the third, then RBIs by Penner and Morrison capped a three-run charge in the bottom of the fourth, giving Minot State plenty of offense for the mercy-rule win.
Penner and Morrison each had two hits in the game, as did Abbey Kelley, with Penner driving in two runs and Morrison three for Minot State.
The Beavers now look to build on the weekend’s momentum when they open NSIC play next Tuesday, March 28, hosting the University of Mary in a doubleheader scheduled for noon. The games will be played at either the South Hill Softball complex or in the Air-Supported Dome on the MSU campus.
